Put me in the camp opposed to the 802. The #5 has plenty of slack action on a ling train without the #802's spring.
Fred T Annoyed in Tennessee ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Karnes To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2012 12:58 PM Subject: {S-Scale List} Re: "Annoying slack action" Jim King wrote: "His design permits Kadee centering without the annoying slack action." Annoying?? One of my favorite memories is seeing NYC Mohawks (Mountains for you non-NYC fans) starting a 100-car train. The loco would back up about a car length, bunching up slack. Then it would pull forward, ever so slowly, taking out the slack car by car. You could hear the clunk! clunk! clunk! as each coupler became fully extended and each car leapt into slow motion. The Mohawks' replacements, Alco FA/FB lash-ups, did the same thing. Thankfully, this is one of the aspects of running trains on my layout that I really enjoy -- starting a freight train and listening to the slack take-up as the locomotive gradually moved forward. Lest you rebut by observing that the Kadee 802/808 centering springs cause the caboose to constantly bob longitudinally, I refer you back to my oft-repeated (in print as well as via electrons) but little-heeded recommendation (supported by Kadee themselves!) to substitute a knuckle spring for the too-stiff centering spring. Dick Karnes
